Capacity building: USAID to help train engineers

Will facilitate support for state-owned power plants.

ISLAMABAD: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Energy Policy Program has launched an initiative to provide training, facility assessments, maintenance and plant outage support for state-owned thermal power plants.

Sixty engineers from Muzaffargarh, Guddu, and Jamshoro thermal power plants will undergo training in management under USAID’s Energy Policy Programme.

“The goal is to establish best operational practices and modern management techniques at the power generation companies (GENCOs), which would raise the overall operation standards and efficiency,” said Energy Policy Program’s Deputy Chief of Party Talha Javed.

The training program will supplement USAID’s efforts to mitigate energy shortfall in Pakistan. Ongoing USAID-funded rehabilitation at the thermal power plants has successfully restored 770 megawatts to the generation capacity, which is sufficient electricity to meet the needs of at least 7.1 million people.

Through capacity building, provided to the GENCOs, they will be able to develop skills according to international standards. In addition to building the skills of engineers, the training will result in improved power plant operations and maintenance practices, thereby improving energy services in Pakistan.

USAID’s Energy Policy Program is a multi-year initiative to increase power generation, decrease losses and increase cost recovery in Pakistan’s power sector by working with selected energy infrastructure and facilitating the government with its reform efforts and providing  technical assistance.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 4^th, 2014.

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